Bihar government orders arrest of JD-U legislator Manorama Devi

Patna: A day after Janata Dal-United (JD-U) legislator Manorma Devi was suspended by the party, the Bihar government issued an arrest warrant against her following the recovery of liquor bottles from her residence in Gaya town, police said on Wednesday.

Manorma Devi’s son Rocky Yadav, who was arrested on Tuesday from a house in Bodh Gaya for murdering a teenager, was later sent to 14-day’s judicial custody by a Gaya court, police said.

“The state government has issued an arrest warrant against Manorma Devi and sealed a room of her residence where some liquor bottles were seized during a police raid on Monday night during a search for her son,” a district police officer in Gaya said.

Meanwhile, Manorma Devi has gone underground after the arrest warrant was issued against her.

Principal Secretary of Registration and Excise Department, K.K.Pathak said the legislator would soon be arrested.

“Legal action as per the new excise law was taken against her following recovery of liquor bottles from the residence,” he said.

According to excise official Vikash Singh, six bottles of liquor were recovered.

Gaya senior Superintendent of Police Garima Malik said that Rocky had confessed to the fatal shooting of businessman’s son Aditya Sachdeva on Saturday night for overtaking his car on the Bodh Gaya-Gaya road.

Police have also seized the pistol used in the crime, she said. The licence for the pistol was issued in Delhi.

Malik said a separate case will be filed on charge of violation of the liquor ban in Bihar.

With Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar asserting that no guilty will be spared, police promised to file a charge sheet within a month.

Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters) Sunil Kumar said: “Police have been working to complete investigations in the case within three weeks. The charge sheet will be filed within a month to ensure speedy trial.”